Here's a disclaimer for ya. I don't own the characters from Final Fantasy VI. Square-Enix does. And just to set everyone at ease straight out, this is NOT a Setzer-Relm shipping fic. NOT. I did decide that Relm, in her early teenage years, is probably a little tease, and might have a minor crush on Setzer, the whole "bad boy gambler" thing. But fear not. It ain't going anywhere. My original plan was to have this be a crossover fic, but the story kind of grabbed me and ran before I could get into that. SINCE has decided that author's notes and disclaimers are not fit content for an entire Chapter entry, and I can't assume it WON'T eventually metamorphose into the crossover I intended, and I don't want to give away the nature of the crossover before I decide to write and post it, I'll just say that there may be another disclaimer inserted at the start of a later chapter to cover that. I am not entirely sure where this story's going, or if it will "finish" in any real sense. You have been warned.

Scars

by DarknessGothNightPuppyBasket

Started May 08, 2007

Chapter 1: Wild Child

"NO!"

CRASH.

"Will you just - eurggh. WHY did I agree to watch you tonight? WHY am I not escorting Celes to the opera instead of Locke? And WHY am I unable to get you to behave!?"

Relm looked at Setzer past the remains of a vase which had cost him quite a lot.

"You really asking?" she said smirking impishly.

"If it will stop you from breaking my things for a while, yes," Setzer replied wearily.

"Fine." The smallish teen sat down on the floor, brushing aside shards of shattered historical artifact.

"You agreed to watch me tonight, AND you're not at the opera, because Celes tricked you into betting on a coin toss whether you or Locke would watch me tonight. You were dumb enough to let Locke make the toss, and were too busy looking at Celes' front in her formal gown to notice when he switched coins. Like usual."

Setzer's face was full of puzzled confusion.

"But I thought of that! We called it in the air this time! And I called it!" he said petulantly.

"Yeah. Good move. Too bad you didn't think of demanding that the coin lie on the ground for the final call, rather than having Locke catch it after the toss."

"I - um - oh. Dammit!" Setzer swung a fist at he wall, almost striking another expensive vase.

"Aw, you missed! Here," Relm said chirpily. And got up, extended a finger, and pushed the vase off the table.

CRASH.

"There you go." she said.

"WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THAT!?" demanded Setzer, his usually pale complexion beginning to approach scarlet.

"Because, I'm BOORRRRED!" Relm whined. "Shadow's not in town so I can't play with Interceptor, you won't let me paint your picture, painting still-lifes is BORING, and you won't let me go out, and all you can think of for me to do is for me to go to BED! And going to bed is BORING! At least..." she paused, batting her eyelashes at him. "Alone, it is."

Setzer cringed. She'd been doing this with increasing frequency, lately. Sure, she was cute, but...

"Relm, you're THIRTEEN." he reminded her.

"So?" she said coquettishly, leaning forward to show off what wasn't, in fact, there yet.

"I'm..." - he still had trouble saying it, but in this case it was very relevant - " thirty."

"Oh, pooh," she said. "I grew up with STRAGO, man! Anything that isn't a half-corpse like him is pretty...good..." she trailed off, looking out the window.

Uh-oh. Great. She was thinking about Strago. She had always been mischievous, but when Strago had had a fatal heart attack a year ago, Relm had changed. She had started taking stupid risks, being not just rude but genuinely hurtful to people who cared about her. She had stopped breaking rules so much - and started breaking laws. Gone the little bandanas with pompoms and capes, in came streaked hair dye and leather with studs. Terra had tried hard to integrate her in with the other kids at the orphanage, but it seemed that associating with other children who had suffered loss just made her angrier, and more prone to act out. Eventually, Locke and Celes had taken her in. As Celes had remarked, "Terra, you're still scared of your strength. Much as I regret much of it, I was fully in control of myself during my training, and know how to apply it. If a former Imperial general can't whip that kid into shape, I don't know who can. Besides, if she steals any more stuff, Locke can always break in and put it back before the owner knows it's gone." So Relm had come to live with Celes and Locke, and that had worked out... sort of... so far. She respected Celes' strength and commanding presence, and identified with Locke's sense of mischief. She behaved herself... mostly... when they were around. But when they weren't...

CRASH.

"I SAID, LISTEN to me!" shouted Relm angrily.

What? Oh, no.

"Don't space out on me like that! I hate it when I'm talking and you just stay in some stupid memories like a creepy old man!"

"I'm sorry, Relm, but I was just thinking, and - why am I apologizing? You just broke another one of my things!"

"---- you and your things, Setzer! You travel everywhere, see everything, and all you have to show for it are scars and memories and STUFF, cluttering up your airship and your house! When are you going to really ----ing live?"

"Relm, please, calm down - "

"DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT! I'M NOT A ----ING CHILD!" Relm screamed, nearly in tears.

"YES, YOU ARE!" Setzer shouted back, nearly in her face. "YOU ARE A VERY BADLY-BEHAVED CHILD WHO HAS GOTTEN HER WAY FAR TOO OFTEN, AND NO-ONE CAN DISCIPLINE YOU PROPERLY BECAUSE YOU STILL HAVE REMNANTS OF MAGICAL POWERS! YOU ARE A DAMNED BRAT, RELM!!!!" Setzer wasn't red now. He was white, shaking with incandescent rage.

Relm made a couple of tiny squeaking noises in the back of her throat as she stared at him, quivering. Then she dashed from the room. "I HATE YOU!" she shouted over her shoulder.

Oh, crap.

"Where are you going?" Setzer called after her, still shaking with emotion, starting to feel weak.

"To BED! ALONE! I'm sure that'll make YOU happy!" she yelled, her voice garbled by tears.

SLAM. Door shuts.

Wonderful. Now what should he d-

WHAM. Door opens.

"You know what!? On second thought, screw that! I'm going OUT!" came Relm's voice from the hallway.

"NO! Relm, it's not safe!"

"---- you!"

WHAM. Door opens. Sound of rain, louder than before.

Oh, hell.